Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02490385 2004-12-21
WO 2004/037618
PCT/CA2002/001624
METHOD OF PREVENTING THEFT OF VEHICLES
USING INTENSIVE MARKING
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method used for
preventing theft of expensive articles such as vehicles
using intensive markings, and particularly to a method
of providing vehicle anti-theft services to clients
through a service network using intensive markings of
parts of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With regard to automobile identification
markings, it is noted that currently, automobile
manufacturers usually place at least two identification
marks on their automobiles. One
mark is usually
impressed into the motor block and the other is usually
a plate welded somewhere onto the frame. These markings
are utilized not only to identify the vehicle for title
and registration purposes, but also to reduce car thefts
by making it theoretically impossible for stolen
vehicles to be sold because the registry would recognize
the identification numbers as being those of a stolen
vehicle. Unfortunately, these identification marks can
be altered or obliterated with the expenditure of time
and effort by a skilled individual.
In the prior art there are marking processes for
engraving permanent and unalterable identification
markings on surfaces. of a material, such as glass,
plastic and other synthetic materials, and metal. Such
marking processes, for example, use an abrasive blasting
gun assembly in abrading a code provided in a stencil
which is positioned against a surface to be abraded, as
described in United States Patents 4,674,239, entitled
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_
EPO DG 1
27-09-2004 _
(A0201624
== 21. 09. 2004
PORTABLE ABRASIVE BLASTING GUN ASSEMBLY which issued
= to Jodoin on June 23,1987, and 4,048, 918, entitled
STENCILING APPARATUS AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM which
issued to Peck on September 20,1977. Permanent
S markings on the insured vehicle give the insurer an
opportunity to establish the existence of the
insurance coverage of the marked vehicles and
therefore provides a deterrent effect to thieves who
will be unable to obtain top dollar for those vehicles
io which can be so easily identified.
Reference is also made to German Patent
DE 42 01 894 Al which discloses a system employing the
stenciling apparatus as above disclosed by Applicant's
previous patents. However, that system is not as
is elaborate and does not provide security when
processing information on used vehicles as well as new
vehicles and wherein in the processing the information
is circulated between Insurance Companies, Police
Departments and National Custom Departments wherein to
20 provide security to the client and to identify
previously stolen vehicles. Also, there is a need to
provide a certification after such verifications and
therefore a client requires immediate temporary
certification from the service center as well as an
25 official certification after = processing of all
collected information and verification.
Nevertheless, there are continuing efforts to
develop a better method of preventing theft of
vehicles using intensive marking and there is a need
30 for a method of providing vehicle anti-theft services
to clients.
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AMENDED SHEET
CA 02490385 2008-02-04
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a
method of preventing theft of vehicles using intensive
markings which are permanently marked on insured vehicles.
Another object of the present invention is directed to
a method of preventing theft of vehicles by providing anti-
theft services to clients through a service network.
According to a broad aspect of the present invention
there is provided a method for preventing theft of vehicles
using, in combination, intensive vehicle marking and a
computerized device having a computer-readable memory for
storing instructions for use in the execution of a
communication link of the method. The
method comprises
establishing a =service network including a service center
having the computerized device for data processing and
storage and at least one service station providing anti-theft
marking service to clients.
Permanent markings of an
alphanumerical code are effected at the service station.
Information relating to the markings is collected and
verified. The permanent markings are effected on a plurality
of parts of a vehicle and the marking contains identification
information of a client owning the vehicle. The
alphanumerical code uses the IATA codes to identify a country
of origin of the vehicle which allows cross-referencing with
the vehicle identification number thereof. The
collected
information is sent from the service station to the
computerized device of the service center. The computerized
device processes and stores the received information. The
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CA 02490385 2008-02-04
computerized device is linked to at least one service
station, an insurance company, a police department and a
national customs department. The
method also comprises
issuing a certificate corresponding with the vehicle having
the said permanent markings, to the client. Used
vehicles
are identified from new vehicles and any physical damage of
used vehicles is inputted into the computerized device. The
computerized device processes collected information
associated with the alphanumerical codes and transmits same
lo to the police department and customs department, in the link,
for verification.
The intensive marking alphanumerical code preferably
identifies a region of origin of the owner of the vehicle.
The intensive marking alphanumerical code is preferably
permanently engraved on surfaces of various parts of the
vehicle. For example, 50 or more of the most saleable parts
of the vehicle should be engraved with the permanently marked
intensive marking alphanumerical code. The visible logo
should be placed on at least one part (but preferably more)
of the vehicle where it will be located, sized and coloured
to be clearly visible from a distance.
The intensive marking alphanumerical code which will
be referred to as IMAC hereinafter, uses a well recognized
international coding system for identifying the region of
origin of the owner of the vehicle. For example, IATA uses
an international coding for country locations, such as YYZ,
YUL and YVR, to identify Canadian regions, namely Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver, respectively. The IMAC would allow
police, customs and public authorities anywhere in the
world to have access to a universal databank in order
to instantaneously identify the originating region of the
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CA 02490385 2007-05-02
and YVR, to identify Canadian regions, namely Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver, respectively. The IMAC would allow
police, customs and public authorities anywhere in the world
to have access to a universal databank in order to
instantaneously identify the originating region of the
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vehicle and its owner, which is an essential tool to
fight illegal vehicle exportation. It is difficult for
international black market dealers to trade in vehicles
intensively marked with their originating region because
the black market depends on maintaining secrecy and
confusion regarding the point of origin of goods being
transacted.
The IMAC also allows the insurance industry to
have its own serial number on the vehicle for the rest
of the existence of the vehicle and to facilitate a
direct access to a databank. By its short and compact
composition, the IMAC facilitates the inscription in
tight spaces and avoids transcription errors.
The anti-theft service network according to the
present invention prdvides. a convenient anti-theft
service to clients .and allows the insurers to visibly
mark the insured vehicle with the visible logo and the
IMAC, thereby making the vehicle less attractive to
thieves. The anti-theft services can be applied to road
and off-road vehicles such as motorcycles, cars, light
and heavy trucks, and all kinds of water vehicles.
Other advantages and features of the present
invention will be better understood with reference to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention described 1
hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the nature of
the present invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration
the preferred embodiment thereof, in which:
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a service
network for vehicle anti-theft services provided to
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clients according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
Figs. 2A and 2B. comprise a single block diagram
showing a method for providing vehicle anti-theft
services to clients through the network of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3 is a logo design for identifying the
vehicle anti-theft services provided by the network of
Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle
anti-theft service network, generally indicated by
numeral 10 according to one embodiment of the present
invention. The network 10 includes a service center 12
which is usually located in the headquarters of the
anti-theft service company (not shown) and has a
_computerized databank 14.
Nevertheless, the service
center 12 can be in a separate location from the
headquarters of the service company. The
network 10
includes a number of Service stations 16 and at least
one trained qualified agent works at each station to
provide anti-theft services to clients. Each station 16
is linked to the databank 14 of the service center 12,
for example by telephone lines, facsimile, but
preferably by computer network, so that the agent at the
service station 16 has access to the databank 14 of the
service center 12. There are three service stations 16
shown in Fig. 1 for exemplarily illustrating the service
network 10. However, it is understood that the number
of service stations 16 does not constitute part of the
invention. Preferably
the service network. 10 is
supported by the insurance company 18. A
police
department 20 and a national customs department 19 are
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connected to the network 10. Therefore, the databank 14
of the service center 12 is preferably linked to
computers in the insurance company 18,
police
department 20 and the national and international customs
departments 19, through a computer network.
Further referring to Figs. 2A and 2B, the
vehicle anti-theft service is planned and administered
at the service center' 12 or the anti-theft service
company headquarters. The planning and administration
of the vehicle anti-theft service begins with creation
of the intensive markings and rules for applying the
intensive marking, as illustrated in step 22. The
markings include an intensive marking alphanumerical
code (IMAC) which is permanently marked on, for example,
more than 50 of the most saleable parts of a vehicle,
and a visible logo identifying the anti-theft service.
As an example, the visible logo 21 used in this
embodiment is a crab design as shown in Fig. 3, which
may have a specific colour such as gold and the company
name or service name is printed thereupon. The visible
logo 21 can be provided as a sticker to be applied to at
least one visible external part of the vehicle, but more
logo stickers are desirable for a single vehicle in
order to increase the Visibility of the presence of the
anti-theft service in order to clearly identify the
vehicle as being covered by the anti-theft service
whereby to provide a deterrent to thieves. The logo 21
identifying the anti-theft service should be registered
as a trademark thereof, as shown in step 24.
The IMAC for example, first includes capital
letters in accordance with IATA coding for identifying
the region of the origin of the owner of the vehicle
having been insured, such as YYZ, YUL and YVR as
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mentioned above, and as shown in step 26. Of course,
other well recognized coding may be used in the IMAC for
identifying the region or country of origin of the
vehicle owner.
Following the first three capital letters, the
IMAC further includes a sequence of combined digits and
letters to facilitate a direct access to the databank 14
of the service center 12 where the markings of the IMAC
of all vehicles marked by the network 10 are stored,
which will be described below. Therefore, the IMAC
allows a cross-reference with the vehicle identification
number (VIN) thereof which is attached to the vehicle
and/or the engine block of the vehicle by the vehicle
manufacturer.
As shown in step 28, the vehicle anti-theft
service is based on insurance company support and
therefore a corresponding agreement should be negotiated
between the vehicle anti-theft service network 10 and
the insurance company 18 so that a limited warrantee
against theft in the eventuality of non-recovery of a
stolen insured vehicle can be provided to clients
through the anti-theft service network 10.
A certificate for acknowledging the registration
in the vehicle anti-theft service will be provided to a
client who's vehicle has been insured and marked with
the service markings, therefore the certificate form
should be created as indicated in step 30.
The IMAC according to this embodiment, is
engraved on the surfaces of various motor parts or on
external parts of a vehicle by using a blasting gun
assembly for abrading a code provided in stencils which
are positioned against a surface to be abraded, as
described in United States Patent 4,674,239. Therefore,
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the stencils for providing various intensive markings in
accordance with the predetermined IMAC should be
fabricated and distributed to the service stations 16,
as indicated in step 32.
As indicated in steps 34 to 38, an ageht
training program is Organized to train the service
agents to learn the marking process so that they are
able to provide the intensive markings to the clients'
vehicles. The
agent training also teaches the agents
how to provide a quality service to clients which should
be performed step-by-step at the service stations 16 to
ensure the quality control of the provided service.
The vehicle anti-theft service to the clients is
provided at the individual service stations 16 which are
situated in different locations in order to best serve
clients in a large geographical area. The function of
each service station 16 includes information collection
and completion of a certificate as shown in step 40.
This generally involves the agent at the service
station 16 verifying and collecting information from
markings on the parts of the vehicle including the IMAC
and the visible logo 21, as well as the identification
information of the client owning the vehicle. The
collected information is then sent from the service
station 16 to the databank 14 of the service center 12
through the direct link therebetween. The
collected
information received at the service center 12 is then
processed and the certificate identifying the vehicle
anti-theft service corresponding to that particular
vehicle is issued to the client at the service
station 16 and the insurance company 18 through the
direct link between the service center 12 and the
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service station 16, as well as between the service
center 12 and the insurance company 18.
More specifically, the information collection
and completion of certificate procedure indicated in
step 40, can be further broken down into steps in order
to ensure service quality control. The steps of the
information collection and *completion of certificate
procedure can be divided into two groups: one group is
for service to a new or used vehicle which does not have
its IMAC and logo 21, and the other group is for service
of a used vehicle which does have an existing IMAC and
the logo 21.
As indicated in step 42, when a new or used
vehicle which does not have its IMAC and the logo 21 is
brought to the service station 16, the agent at the
service station 16 applies an IMAC which is provided to
the vehicle and does not match any existing IMAC stored
in the databank 14.
The vehicle inspection for verification of pre-
existing damage of the vehicle, particularly when the
vehicle is a used one, is indicated in step 44 and
begins with hood opening to cool off the engine of the
vehicle, as shown in step 46. Steps 48 to 54 show the
verification procedure performed under summer weather
conditions and steps 56 and 58 show the verification
procedure performed under winter weather c9nditions.
The specific inspection points of the vehicle can be
decided by the administrator at the service center 12
and set out in regulations to be followed by the agents
at the service stations 16.
Upon completion of the verification of pre-
existing damage of the vehicle, the most saleable parts
of the vehicle, preferably not less than 50, are
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selected according to the instruction manual to be
permanently marked with the given IMAC by engraving for
example, using an abrasive blasting gun assembly with a
selection of the stencils which in combinatidn provide
the given IMAC. The marking performance begins with the
motor parts. After the selected motor parts are marked
with the given IMAC, the marking process is performed on
the selected external parts, such as windshield glass,
wheel rims, etc., as indicated in steps 60 and 62. :The
visible logo 21 is provided on a sticker and is then
applied to selected positions on the vehicle in order to
identify the anti-theft service with which the vehicle
is insured, as indicated in step 64. Steps
66 and 68
illustrate that the marking process and vehicle
inspection are completed with the cleaning of the
vehicle by air blowing and closing of the hood.
Steps 42 to 68 are an example of the information
collection procedure. The
sequence of the performed
steps may change and more or less steps can be
performed.
The certification completion of step 70 involves
filling out the certificate form designed by the service
center 12. The
certificate forms are distributed as
paper copies from the service center 12 or can be
printed at the service station 16 through the direct
link to the databank 14 at the service center 12. The
certificate form generally contains information entries
regarding the client's identification information, such
as name, address and telephone number, as well as the
client's insurance company name and policy number. The
certificate form also contains entries of the vehicle
information, including the make, model, year,
identification number and other information. When the
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certificate form is prepared for a used vehicle,
information is also entered on the certificate, listing
information about the .existing damage.
Finally, the
given IMAC is recorded on the certificate form. Upon
completion of the certificate form with all collected
information, the client and the agent sign the
certificate, as indicated in step 72. The
information
contained in the certificate is instantly transmitted
from the service station 16 to the databank 14 of the
service center 12 through the direct link therebetween
for databank entry and storage. However, a paper copy
of the certificate with the client's and agent's
signatures will be sent by mail or courier to the
service center 12, as shown in step 74.
When the databank 14 of the service center 12
receives the certificate information, this information
is kept for eventual reference and may be made available
to authorized persons. At
the same time, the
certificate of insured .anti-theft service is ,issued to
the client. Blocks
76 to 80 illustrate those final
steps.
Steps 82 to 102 illustrate the procedure of
information collection and completion of certificate
step-by-step when the agent at a service station 16 is
processing a used vehicle which does have its existing
IMAC thereon.
When a, used vehicle with its existing IMAC is
brought to the service station 16, the agent recognizes
the existing IMAC on the vehicle and sends the client's
identification information together with the IMAC
information to the databank 14 of the service center 12
together with a request for a temporary certificate.
The received information data is processed at the
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service center 12 and the temporary certificate is
issued. Upon receipt of the temporary certificate, the
service station agent completes the certificate of the
insured anti-theft -service. The
completion of the
certificate begins with verification of the external
markings of the IMAC, for example, on glass, sun roof,
wheel caps, rear and front lights, and other motor
parts. Additional 'MAC. engraving may be added to those
vehicle parts which are not previously marked with the
IMAC. Meanwhile verification of external damage on the
vehicle is conducted.
Upon completion of the verification of external
marking and external damage on the vehicle, .the agent
further verifies the markings of the IMAC on the motor
parts, and engraves the IMAC on additional motor parts
which were not previously marked with the IMAC to comply
with the instruction manuals.
The existing logo 21 on the vehicle is verified
and more logo stickers may be applied to the vehicle
=
when necessary.
The client and the agent then sign the temporary
certificate which the agent has filled out with the
client identification information and the vehicle
information. The
collected information is transmitted
to the databank 14 of the service center 12 through the
direct link between the service station 16 and the
service center 12, and the original is then issued by
the service center to the customer. A paper copy of the
temporary certificate .with the client's and agent's
signatures is sent to the customer.
Steps 82 to 98 are an example of the information
collection procedure. The
sequence of the performed
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steps may change and more or less steps can be
performed.
In steps similar to the procedure for providing
anti-theft service to a new vehicle as described above,
the databank 14 of the service center 12 processes the
information collected through the steps 82 to 102 and
issues a certificate to the client as confirmation of
the temporary certificate which the client obtained at
the service center 16 when the vehicle was insured with
the anti-theft service. The information relating to the
insured vehicle and the owner thereof, is also
transmitted from the service center 12 to the insurance
company 18, the police department 20 and the national
customs department 1.9.
It should be noted that the above described
embodiment with reference to Figs. 2A and 2B is an
example of the present invention. Generally, the steps
illustrated by the blocks of the diagram -shown in
Figs. 2A and 2E may be changed in sequence. It should
also be noted that in the above described vehicle anti-
theft service network 10, the individual service
stations 16, the police department 20 and the national
customs department 19 may not necessarily be, directly
linked to the databank 14 of the service center 12, and
communication therebetween can be conducted by means of
telephone line, facsimile, mail and courier service.
Changes and modifications to the embodiments of
the present invention described above may be made
without departing from the spirit and the scope of the
present invention which are intended to be limited only
by the scope of the appended claims.
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